Over the course of June 2026, the Council of the EU completed a key stage in the post-2027 MFF negotiations, agreeing Partial General Approaches (PGAs) on three files central to the next generation of EU funding: the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) on 16 June, followed by Horizon Europe (FP10) on 26 June. Together, these positions now form the Council's mandate for trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament, even as the overall MFF budget and horizontal questions remain open.

Horizon Europe (FP10):

The Horizon Europe PGA, agreed on 26 June, is the last of the three to land. A few elements are worth unpacking.

First, governance: the compromise text strengthens the Council and Member States' role in setting the programme's strategic priorities. The process would begin with advice from the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) on R&I orientations. This advice would then inform the Commission's preparation of a multiannual strategic document. The Programme Committee will then issue recommendations on the programme's overall direction and coordinate, via joint meetings with the ECF's General Committee, particularly on Pillar II.

Second, European Partnerships gain more defined boundaries and a stronger mandate. The Member States would like to have a stronger guiding role in shaping the Partnerships' thematic areas and the text calls for coherence with other EU programmes, especially for deployment activities. Partnerships are also pushed toward a mission-oriented logic, with clear, time-bound objectives and are framed within a coherent portfolio approach expected to cover the full research and innovation value chain, including deployment financed through other EU or national programmes. The text is explicit that this portfolio should be identified early enough in the programming period to allow national and regional investment decisions to follow. The role of regions in the Partnerships is not explicitly mentioned, while further integrating SMEs and start-ups is highlighted in the text.

Third, on Pillar II, the 'Society' component is clarified, including how the programme supports the research and innovation side of EU Missions (up to 2030) and the New European Bauhaus, alongside coherence with the "Competitiveness" component. Culture, creative sectors and democratic societies also gain a bigger role. Importantly, the compromise draws a clearer line between Missions' research phase and their deployment phase: outstanding research and innovation needs stay within Horizon Europe's work programmes up to 2030, while active deployment at higher technology readiness levels is expected to be picked up by ECF instruments and other EU programmes. Whether the ECF will deliver on this remains to be seen, as the ECF text does not yet have a hook for this. The text also tries to strike a more deliberate balance between bottom-up collaborative research and predefined topics in strategic areas.

On the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) front, the compromise adds matchmaking and networking activities and strengthens the connection to national and regional innovation policies and strategies, including Smart Specialisation.

National Regional Partnership Plans:

The Council reinforces the role of regions and local authorities and proposes simpler implementation. Smart Specialisation Strategies are referenced more strongly than in the Commission's proposal, including in the NRPP template in Annex V and in explicit references in the articles. Find out more at the following link.

European Competitiveness Fund:

The Council's position on the ECF clarifies synergies with other EU funds, notably Horizon Europe, includes specific measures to support SMEs and strengthens the role of Member States in the Fund's governance. ERRIN welcomes the references to ecosystems and regions, which follow the wording already present in the Commission's proposal. However, the role of territorial ecosystems and connecting them across value chains and key sectors should be reinforced in the text. Additionally, the societal dimension of competitiveness is also not addressed. Both aspects call for increased advocacy efforts.

Next steps

On the Parliament's side, both FP10 and the ECF are heading for ITRE adoption, initially scheduled for 10 September 2026, with FP10 also having an indicative first-reading plenary on 5 October. The NRPP file follows a different track, with REGI Committee adoption expected in November 2026 (TBC).

ERRIN's amendment proposals to the European Commission's proposals of ECF and Horizon Europe regulations are available here and the proposal of the NRPPs regulation (advocating for stronger anchoring of S3) here. Our recent paper highlighting the strategic role of EU Missions and mission-oriented approach in the next EU long-term budget can be accessed here. We work continuously to secure place-based dimension in the future programmes.

Access the official press releases below: 

• Negotiating Box for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034 published on 11 June
• Partial general approach on the European Competitiveness Fund
• Partial general approach on the National and Regional Partnership Plans
• Partial general approach on the future Horizon Europe